It has been forecast for many years that computers will eventually eliminate the need for paper in office and business environments. Although this has yet to take place, the increasing availability of inexpensive reader devices may help to fulfill this forecast.
The availability and use of such reader devices has increased in part due to advances in display technologies, and in particular due to advances in so-called “electronic paper” or “e-paper” technologies. These technologies have been increasingly successful in producing displays that emulate the appearance of printed paper. In addition, such displays are thin, inexpensive, lightweight, and consume negligible power. In the future, content readers will become even lighter and thinner, and may eventually resemble sheets of paper.